The present invention relates to a steam apparatus for cleaning horizontal surfaces, in particular floors.
As is known, steam cleaning apparatus exist, comprising an upper handle, an intermediate pole and a bottom head housing a sliding unit which supplies the steam to a rag, a cloth or the like, which is fixed to said sliding unit. The water necessary for production of the steam is supplied to said head by means of pipes which pass inside or outside the pole and is drawn from a reservoir which may be located directly inside the head, inside the handle or outside thereof. In all these cases, the bottom head has a heater or boiler which converts the water into steam. One of the main drawbacks of this apparatus is the difficulty in regulating the quantity of steam which is to be produced by the sliding unit for cleaning. This heater, moreover, increases considerably the overall volume and reduces the compactness of the apparatus.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the known apparatus mentioned above, by means of a steam cleaning apparatus which allows the user the possibility of regulating the quantity of steam produced by the head, which is compact and the dimensions of which may be varied according to needs.
This object is achieved by the present invention by means of a steam cleaning apparatus, comprising an upper handle, an intermediate pole and a bottom head for production and supplying of steam, provided with an instantaneous steam generator, a water reservoir housed on the top of the pole in the region of the handle, a duct for transferring the water from this reservoir to said head and a water loading device housed on an associated loading mouth formed above this reservoir; said apparatus comprises a steam regulating device provided with a fixed bushing having a hollow bottom end sealingly engaged on the top end of the sectional pole and a valve body fixed inside this bushing; the top part of this valve body is sealingly engaged on a discharge mouth of said reservoir and is provided with a through-hole able to be opened and closed in an adjustable manner by a valve which can be actuated on the outside of the device by means of suitable means movable with respect to said bushing.
As regards the description of said cleaning head, this instantaneous steam generator and in general the bottom part of the cleaning apparatus, reference should be made to the text of the description of the Italian Utility Model patent application Serial Number GE2001U00027 filed on Sep. 26, 2001, in the name of the Italian Joint Stock Company ARIETE S.p.A. at Macrolotto, Prato, Italy.